Railway-gate



(No Model.)

H. GRIDLEY & T. JOHNSON.

RAILWAY GATE. No. 324,934. Patented Aug. 25, 1885.

ac M/g/VTOR (if "m WIH STATES ATENT OFFICE.

HARRISON GRIDLEY A ND THOMAS JOHNSON, OF (.ANANDAIGUA, NEW YORK.

RAILWAY-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 324,934, dated August25, 1885.

Application filed January 21, 1855. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HARRIsON GRIDLEY and THOMAS JOHNSON, ofCanandaigua, in the county of Ontario and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Gates; and we dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to an improvement in automatic railway-gates; andit consists in certain features of construction and combinations ofparts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of the gate andgate-operating devices in perspective, the gate being closed. Fig. 2 isthe same with the gate opened, and Figs. 3, 4:, 5, 6, 7, and 8 representdetached views of parts.

A A represent gate-posts located on opposite sides of the railway-track.The posts A are preferably hollow for receiving and protecting from thedamp weather devices for elevating and holding the gate in elevatedadjustment, as will hereinafter appear.

B represents the rails. Beneath the rails, and extending from one post Ato the other, is a rock-bar, D, journaled in suitable boxes or bearings,.I, located under the rails. The bar 1) is preferably square orrectangular in cross-section, excepting at the points where it rests inits bearings, at which points it is rounded, as shown at d. lales H hare secured to the bar D at suitable intervals, and extend upwardly to aheight sufficient to form an effectual guard against the passage of manand beast. One of the pales, H, is connected with its adjacent pale, h,by a bracket, g, provided with a hollow arm, G, projecting over apulley, F, rigidly secured on the rock-bar D. A plunger-rod, N, providedwith an enlarged head, or, within the hollow arm, and with an eye, a, inthe outer end, has a longitudinal movement within the arm and. is heldin a normally elevated adjustment within the arm by a spring, 0,interposed between the outer or lower end of the arm and the enlargedhead a. The pulley F is provided with ratchettecth f on a portion of itsface, and a chain, E, attached at one end to the eye a of theplunger-rod, passes from thence beneath and partially around the pulleyF, leading upwardly to the operating-rod O, to which it is attached. Oneof the links, 0, of the chain E is provided with ratchet-teeth, whichregister with the teeth f on the face of the pulley F. The operating-rod0 lies parallel with and in close proximity to the rail B, on either theinside or outside thereof, and consists of a round metal rod providedwith a flange, 0, running its entire length and arranged in a spiralform at each end, the spiral portion at one end being right and at theother end left hand. The straight portion of the flange 0 lieshorizontally on the inside of the red when the gate is closed, the endsof the spiral portion being at the same time in close proximity to therail 13 in position to engage the flange or face of the car-wheel. Thered O is journaled in suitable end supports, I, and may be supportedthroughout its length at proper intervals by any suitable bearings. Theflange c is provided with a recess, L, at the point opposite the pale H,which receives the pale when the gate is closed, and locks the gateagainst displacement. The pale H is provided with a block or shoulder,K, secured rigidly thereto, upon which the flange c rests when the gateis closed, thereby forming a stop for the rod 0, limiting its rotarymove ment in that direction. The pale H and rod 0 thus mutually lockeach other in their respective positions.

The mechanism for raising and holding the gate in elevated adjustmentconsists, preferably, in a rope, m, leading over a pulley, M, suspendedfrom the top of the post A, one end of the rope being attached to acrank-arm, d, on the end of the rock-bar D, and the other end providedwith weight L. In the place, however, of the rope and weight described,a spring might be substituted and other an rangemenls of rope and weightmight be resorted to.

The operation is as follows: The flange or rim on the wheel of theapproaching car engages the end of the spiral flange c and rotates therod 0 one-half revolution, holding it in that position until it leavesit at the opposite end. Suppose the circumference of the red C andpulley F to be the same, the first one-fourth revolution of the rod 0causes the pulley F and hence the rock-bar D to make one-fourth of arevolution, and throws the gate into a horizontal or open position. Themotion of the rod 0 is transmitted to the pulley F during the firstone-fourth revolution through the ratchet-teeth on the chain E inengagement with the teeth f, on the pulley F. The second onefourthrevolution of the rod 0 draws the plunger-rod N out of the hollow arm G,against the resistance of the spring 0, the teeth on the link 6 beingdisengaged from the teeth f on the pulley at the end of the firstquarterrevolution. The pale between the rod 0 and rail 13 lies beneaththe flange a when the gate is open. As soon as the car-wheel passes therod 0 is returned one-fourth of a revolution by the action of the spring0, and the gate is then elevated by the weight L, a spring, or othersuit-able mechanism arranged for the purpose. A quarter-revolution ofthe rod 0 is all that is necessary to turn the gate from a vertical to ahorizontal position, but by causing the rod to make a half-turn theflange thereon is brought into a position convenient for locking thegate when the latter is in a vertical position.

Some of the more important advantages of the gate as thus constructedare its simplicity, there being but few parts, and these arranged tooperate with the least possible amount of wear, its stability whenclosed, and the reli ance which can be placed upon its opening andclosing.

We are aware that it is not new to locate the rock-bar of a gatetransversely beneath the rails, and operate the same by aspirallyflanged operating-rod located alongside of one of the rails, andhence we make no broad claim to such a construction.

It is evident that slight changes may be made in the form andarrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit andscope of our invention, hence we do not wish to be understood aslimiting ourselves strictly to the construction herein set forth; but,

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a railway-gate, the combination, with a vertically-rocking gate,of an operating-rod having a shoulder or shoulders constructed to engagethe gate and lock the same in a vertical position.

2. In a rail way-gate, the combination, with a gate consisting,essentially, of a series of pales secured to a rock-bar locatedtransversely beneath the rails, of a spirally-flangedoperating-rodjournaled along the side of one of the rails, a flexibledevice secured to the flanged rod, and a yielding device connecting theflexible device to the gate, substantially as set forth.

3. In a railway-gate, the combination, with a rock-bar provided withpales and located transversely beneath the rails, and a rotary rodlocated along the side of one of the rails, of a ratchet-toothed pulleysecured on the rockbar, a ratchet-toothed chain, and a yielding deviceconnecting the chain and rock-bar.

4. The combination, with a rock bar provided with pales and locatedtransversely across the track, and a rotary operating-rod located alongthe inside of one of the rails, of a flexible chain secured at one endto the operating-rod and at the other end to a springactuated support onthe gate, a portion of the chain being provided with teeth adapted toengage the rockbar, whereby the chain at first rotates the rock-bar andthen disengages itself therefrom and accommodates itself to the rotationof the operating-rod, substantiall y as set forth.

5. The combination, with a vertically-rocking gate secured to arock-bar, and a spirallyflanged operating-rod located alongside of oneof the rails and connected to the rock-bar for turning the latter to ahorizontal position, of a hollow post located in close proximity to oneend of the rock-bar, and devices connected to the rock-bar and locatedwithin the post for turning the gate to a vertical position.

6. In a railway-gate, the combination, with a rock-bar locatedtransversely beneath the rails and a series of pales secured thereto, ofa spirally-flanged operating-rod located alongside of one of the rails,and an extensible or yielding device connecting the rock-bar and flangedoperating-rod, whereby the latter is permitted to continue its movementafter the pales on the rock bar have been turned to a horizontalposition, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

HARRISON GRIDLEY. THOMAS JOHNSON. Vitnesscs:

ED. XV. SnMMoNs, JOHN ANDREWS.

